I use my iPhone's Alarms to remind me of things. Why would I use Reminders instead?

This question came from an iTandCoffee Club member this week.

​When it comes to keeping track of tasks, to dos, and appointments on your iPhone, you might instinctively reach for the Clock app to set an alarm as a way to remind you.

Here's something to consider instead - a much better option than alarms.

​The Reminders app is a much better option for managing your to-dos and for jogging your memory about things that need to be done. ​

Reminders is designed for your tasks, your to-do's, your lists - the things you need to remember to do at a time, at a place, or just to provide a list of items that you want/need to remember or do (even if they are not time/location based).

I use Reminders multiple times every day, for things like reminders to call someone back, to reminders on bill payments, to take meditation, and for a variety of work tasks.

If you have been using Alarms to remind you about things, here are some reasons why you might choose to set to set Reminders instead.

Reminders Are More Context-Aware

Alarms are simple—they go off at a set time, and that’s it. If you have multiple alarms set throughout the day, you will need to make sure you label each Alarm so that you know what it relates to! 

You can do a simple snooze of an alarm (which snoozes it for 9 minutes), but there is not option to adjust this Snooze time.

Reminders allow you to quickly choose an action other than 'snooze' - to Mark as Completed, Remind me in an Hour, Remind me this Afternoon, or Remind me Tomorrow. And, of course, you can also go to the Reminders app and adjust the date and time for the reminder as required.

Reminders are not as disruptive as an Alarm

An alarm can be loud and disruptive, demanding immediate attention - and an Alarm will go off even if you have your device in Do Not Disturb or silent mode. If you’re in location where devices should be on silent, that alarm could be a huge embarrassment and nuisance to others. 

A Reminder, on the other hand, appears as a notification that you can acknowledge and snooze if needed - and that takes account of whether your device is in a 'no noises please' mode. 

And Reminders (usually) go into your Notification Centre so that you can easily see any that you missed while your device was in a 'do not disturb' or 'silent' mode.

Reminders are not just based on time

The Reminders app allows you to set a reminder for when you arrive at a location or when you send a message to someone. As an example, I often set a reminder for 'when I get home' to do something that I thought of while I was out.

Reminders show in your Calendar

iOS/iPadOS 18 and macOS 15 brought a really great change to the Calendar app - where Reminders that are date/time based are now shown in the Calendar app and can be added/managed from there. I love this change, because I can now look at my day and see any reminders I have set for times throughout the day (or have missed from the day before).

Reminders allow you to record some notes

A Notes field in each reminder allows for the recording of some additional information that you may need access to when the Reminder pops up.

Reminders Can Be Organized into Lists

Unlike alarms, which exist in isolation, Reminders can be grouped into lists for different aspects of your life—work, personal tasks, shopping, and more. This makes it easy to see everything you need to do at a glance, rather than scrolling through a long list of alarms.

Reminders Sync Across Devices

If you set an alarm on your iPhone, it stays on your iPhone. But Reminders sync across all your Apple devices via iCloud, meaning you can access them on your iPad, Mac, or even Apple Watch. This ensures you never miss an important task, no matter which device you’re using.

Reminders Can Be Recurring Without Clutter

Need to remember to take medication every day at 8 AM? While you could set a repeating alarm, this quickly clutters your Clock app with multiple alarms. Reminders handle recurring tasks cleanly, allowing you to set daily, weekly, or custom repeat schedules without filling up your alarm list.

Reminders can be easily added using Siri

Just ask Siri to set your reminders. For example, "Remind me to call Fred at 2pm" or "Remind me every morning at 8am to take my tablet" or "Remind me when I get home to take meat out of freezer" or "Add tomatoes to my groceries list".

Reminders can be shared with others

You can share a Reminders list with others, which allows everyone add, edit, and check off tasks. This makes collaboration, planning and memory jogging easy. If the reminder has a date/time associated with it, each person will get a notification on their own device.

This can be a really handy way of remotely 'nagging'. I have used this in the past when we travelled, to remind my children of household tasks that needed to be done each week.

Create Categorized Lists (Like Shopping Lists!)

Reminders allow you to organize your to-dos into lists. You can have separate lists for groceries, work tasks, home projects, and more. This makes it easy to find what you need without digging through a mess of alarms. 

And for groceries, the list can automatically sort itself into categories of groceries - like Fruit & Veg, Breads & Cereals, Household Items, Baking Items, etc.

When Should You Use an Alarm Instead?

Of course, alarms still have their place. 

If you need a loud, unavoidable alert that goes off even if the devices muted or in 'do not disturb mode' —such as waking up in the morning or timing an event—an alarm is the better choice.

But for everyday task management, Reminders offer a smarter, more organised approach.